The Royal Race Shorts are designed to match the Royal Race Jersey, and they’re Royal’s premium short, where all the features and all-day riding comfort converge. As with all shorts, the bottoms gain panels and improve fit as you go up the line. These shorts are designed not to fit when standing around but to fit when riding, so they have a back stretch panel that covers and protects your lower back when riding. There are also sublimated side panels—the ones that end in a point on the lower leg—that are made from a thick, tough spandex that gives when you move and protects when you crash.

Adding to the functionality are the two zip side pockets -- room for small stuff that just won’t fit anywhere else. Below the pockets are rubber glove wipe wings, designed to scrape the palms of your gloves after getting a handful on the last dab. Also in the realm of practical symmetry, each side has a pull-tab waist-adjuster, allowing for two inches of waist adjustment per short. And everything down the middle is a zipper with a lock-down dual-snap waist closure to keep everything together.

You might have noticed we didn’t mention the liner. It doesn’t come with one. Nor are there tabs for hooking up a Royal liner. This was deliberate. For one, by the time you’ve moved onto these shorts, you probably already have a favored liner, so Royal doesn’t see the need to sell you a liner you’re not already in love with. For another, relying on internal tabs means the liners are not as skintight as they ought to be. We’re not stopping you from getting the Royal liner to go with these shorts, but we’re also not stopping you from choosing another if that other is more to your liking.

The Royal Race Short is made from durable 600D polyester. The color schemes available are Black/White/Grey, Brown/Green/White, and Red/White/Grey. Sizes run from small to double extra large. Each size has about a 2” adjustment in the waist. The medium short has a 13” inseam.